Fresh attack targeting QIH boss
A car belonging to the daughter of a Quinn Industrial Holdings director has been set on fire outside his home in Ballyconnell.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at the home of Production Director Tony Lunney after the alarm was raised at around 11.30pm on Tuesday night, October 30.
Its understood that the family were not present at the time, the fire was extinguished quickly and no damage was caused to the surrounding property.
Gardaí and members of the local fire service attended the scene, and Gardai are this morning conducting a forensic analysis of the scene.
The alleged attack is the latest in a mounting spate of incidents seemingly aimed at targeting the senior management running companies formerly owned by local businessman Sean Quinn.
Earlier this month a car was set on fire outside the home of Dara O’Reilly, the Chief Financial Officer of QIH.
Such was the extent of the blaze that it cause further damage to the adjacent home where Mr O'Reilly, his wife, and two young children had retired for the night.
The latest attack is also the second such attempt to damage property belonging to Mr Lunney himself, after an office at Belturbet-based tyre factory Eco Tyre Tread Solutions, owned by him and Elizabeth Lunney, was damaged by fire.
The arson attack on August 31 was the twentieth act of violence or hostility on QIHL related operations in its three years running the local businesses.
Mr Quinn has publicly condemned the attacks on his former businesses on several occasions.
Full time line of incidents
2011
Within 24 hours of businessman Sean Quinn and his family being locked out of their former businesses in April 14, 2011, blockades are staged at company headquarters in Ballyconnell and Derrylin.
April 19: A large dumper truck is driven into bollards at the entrance to the Co Fermanagh Quinn Group head offices. The attack is the first of almost 70 to be logged by the Quinn Group’s new owners over the subsequent two years.
May 15: First arson attack is recorded. An isolated electricity substation, followed by 17 electricity poles north of the border damaged between May and June connected to the Quinn Glass manufacturing plant.
July 27: Two vans, a lorry, a loading shovel vehicle, tarmac spreader are destroyed by fire at Quinn Tarmac plant.
August 10: A BMW 4X4 belonging to receiver-appointed chief executive Paul O'Brien is burned outside his Meath home. The Celt reports that Seán Quinn and his family are calling for the attacks to cease. Quinn staff are reportedly threatened by some of the people unhappy the group is in receivership.
Further incidents of criminal damage are logged, including diesel pumps sabotaged so that delivery trucks are unable to refuel, steel spikes scattered on roads to damage types, and sugar put in fuel tanks to ruin engines. Pro-Quinn family signs are erected on roadsides. The wind farm formerly owned by Sean Quinn suffers further vandalism
December 22: Part of the Quinn Group staff canteen is demolished after a lorry is backed into the building. The vehicle was then driven a short distance away before being set alight and destroyed. By now the estimated cost of damage caused is put at more than £1 million.
2012
January 14: A disused office attached to the Quinn Group headquarters near Derrylin in damaged by fire.
March 12: A Quinn company lorry is parked at the gates of the group’s packaging head offices and set alight.
July 29: Over 5,000 people turn out at a rally in Ballyconnell Town in support of the Quinn family.
October 14: Second rally takes place in Ballyconnell Town in support of the Quinns, smaller numbers reported.
November 2: Sean Quinn is jailed for contempt in unrelated High Court proceedings.
November 5: Tractors are parked blocking the road, and a lorry is parked across the entrance to the Quinn Glass factory.
November 8: An electrical substation attached to the wind farm at Doon is targeted by arsonists.
2013
January 3: Sean Quinn released from prison after purging his contempt.
January 31: Lagan Group Chief Kevin Lagan has a bullet sent to him at his Belfast Office. A note accompanying the bullet made reference to Lagan Group's then recent discussions about a possible joint venture with Quinn Building Products.
March: A fibre network connecting the company's communication department is fire-bombed. Three electricity poles are also cut down, with one also damaged by fire.
April 4: A Quinn Group crane working at the site of Ballinamore Community School is set on fire.
December 12: A stolen oil tanker is rammed into the head office of the former Quinn Group before being set on fire. The incident occurs just weeks after the Quinn business rebranded as 'Aventas' on November 29, 2013.
2014
January 7: Businessman Sean Quinn strongly condemns ongoing attacks after a 52-seater coach is parked at the entrance to a Quinn Packaging in Ballyconnell and set on fire. Scrawled on the bus is 'Paul O'Brien: Disaster Tours, Leaving Soon.'
February 4: A petrol bomb attack close to the headquarters of the former Quinn Group in County Fermanagh cuts off phone and broadband services in the area.
February 9: Three separate attacks on Lagan Group premises. At Lagan Asphalt Company in Cork a loading shovel worth €100,000 is burned; a digger and two dumpster trucks worth approximately €900,000 destroyed by fire at Ballystockart quarry, Co Down; and a Lagan-owned property in Lisburn is graffitied with 'Stay out of Co Fermanagh' and 'hands off Quinn'.
March 5: Generator set alight at Quinn Glass factory in Derrylin.
March 6: Quinn tarmac spreader destroyed in an arson attack at Donagh, Co Fermanagh.
March 13: A 4x4 with the roof cut off is loaded it with tyres, petrol and small gas canisters before being driven into the front foyer of Quinn Packaging and set alight. More than 30 employees were present at the plant at the time, and some €600,000 damage was caused to the property.
March 27: Death threat letter sent to Kevin Lagan on the same day his wife dies. Lagan Group pulls out of a deal to buy Quinn Rooftiles from Aventas.
March 28: A van loaded with a flammable substance is driven through the gates of CEEVA, an international logistics group in Cork, and set alight.
April 1: CEEVA pulls out of proposed deal with Aventas.
April 6: Two excavators destroyed and a third damaged in an arson attack at a Quinn quarry at Molly Mountain, Kinawley.
April 15: Anonymous caller phones in bomb threat at Quinn Glass in Derrylin, prompting security alert that shuts down plant.
October: Quinn Radiators sold by Aventas for €25m.
September: Former Quinn wind farm sold for €127m
December 18: QBRC ties up €90m deal to purchase certain remaining former Quinn Group assets from Aventas. Sean Quinn makes triumphant return to former businesses.
2015
January 15, 2015: Sean Quinn returns as a paid adviser to the new manufacturing business, Qunn Industrial Holdings (QIH), headed up by a number of his former executives.
January 14: Former Quinn Glass company, with its plants in Derrylin and Elton, Cheshire, is sold to Spanish glass manufacturer Vidrala for €408.6m.
January 20: A parked lorry at Derrylin cement works is set on fire. It is the first instance of suspected criminal damage against the company since the financial restructuring in December 2014.
February 3: The former Quinn plastics business, rebranded Polycasa, is sold to Swiss company Schweiter Technologies for €120m.
December 13: A can of petrol and matches are found outside the door of a substation on the site of a wind farm with threatening graffiti on the walls. In a seemingly related incident a pig’s head is dumped outside the home of a member of QIHL management.
2016
February 9: Equipment at Swanlinbar Quarry is sabotaged, causing more than €15,000 worth of damage.
February: Signs with the words criticising named management as 'Money grabbing traitors and informers' appear on the roadside close to QIH company offices.
March, 2016: A package is sent to Vestas Northern Europe, the company operating the wind farms formerly owned by the Quinn Group. It contains a handwritten message warning 'Vestas Workers stay away from Slieve Rushen or face the bullet', and is accompanied by three rifle bullets and a funeral wreath.
April 19: A sign with the message 'Remove the UDA + UVF off our mountain, or face the gun' is erected near QIH headquarters. It is the second such threat in recent months. East Cork Crane Hire removes equipment from a Fermanagh wind farm after being told it would be burnt to the ground.
April 22: Sean Quinn issues a statement condemning growing acts of intimidations against management at his former businesses. There are reports also of a security worker having been threatened by a man armed with a rifle.
May 1: Up to 20 spikes are found at the Slieve Rushen hours after an alleged explosion was heard close to QIHL offices, so powerful it was reported to have “shook buildings”. The wind-farm is on record as sustaining one attack a week.
May 20: Sean Quinn leaves his €500,000-a-year consultancy role by mutual consent.
August 8-9: Damage to machinery at Aughrim and Gortmullan Quarry.
September 22: Significant engine damage to heavy plant and equipment at Gortmullan Quarry.
2017
January 2017: Digger damaged at Gortmullan Shale Pit
September 19: Signs appear stating 'Sell out in Motion...' and '...Only Quinn to Keep Jobs at Home'. Comments critical of QIHL management and the running of the local businesses continue to appear online.
October 30: Signs appear north of the Border warning a named supplier to 'Keep out of Derrylin Quarry Dispute'.
November 2: Two signs erected on Derrylin to Kinawley Road stating 'Burn Glass Factory AG'.
November 22: Signs appears at entrance to Doon Quarry naming a person associated with QIH management.
2018
February: Liam McCaffrey, chief executive QIH, takes High Court challenge over comments on social media.
May 3: A relative of a member of the Quinn management team is allegedly physical assaulted. A new Facebook account also begins posting critical commentary about the company.
June-July: Signs appear near Ballyconnell criticising QIH management salaries. Another refers to 'Stolen Empire'.
August 22: Sean Quinn tells community gathering he had run his company for 35 years in an honourable way. The former billionaire businessman speaks publicly of a possible comeback at his former businesses.
August 31: An office at Belturbet-based tyre factory Eco Tyre Tread Solutions, owned by QIH director Anthony P. 'Tony' Lunney, and Elizabeth Lunney, is damaged by fire. The arson attack is the 20th act of violence or hostility on QIHL related operations in its three years running the business.
September 4: QIHL state they will “take appropriate and robust action commencing with legal action against those propagating misinformation online”.
September: Wind farm at Slieve Rushen put up for sale.
October 3: Investigation into overturned truck trailer at QIH.
October 15: QIH spokesperson confirms: “Sensible security precautions are being adopted in light of recent intimidation, but the main focus of the company and its staff remains on continuing to grow the business”.
October 18: Arsonists attack the home of Dara O'Reilly, QIH chief financial officer, torching his car.
October 30: Arsonists attack the home of QIH Director Tony Lunny, setting alight a car belonging to his daughter.